High-altitude scientific balloon flights provide useful information on terrestrial and planetary research including research and monitoring of weather, and in particular, research and monitoring of weather from remote locations.
Conventional technology for filling and launching high-altitude balloons depends on having a sufficient quantity of hydrogen, helium or other like lift gas on site or on-board the balloon. Helium gas is difficult to transport due to the need to constrain gases within heavy, high-pressure cylinders. These heavy cylinders make poor candidates for use in remote locations or on-board balloon flights. Hydrogen gas is typically stored in a similar manner as helium gas and additionally is produced by non-portable electrolytic hydrogen generator systems that require large amounts of electrical power. As was the case with helium gas, hydrogen gas is a poor candidate for use in remote locations or on-board balloon flights.
Accordingly, as recognized by the present inventors, what is needed is a method and apparatus for portably producing lift gas that allows for both the relatively inexpensive production of lift gas and the capacity to produce lift gas at remote sites. In addition, there is a need in the art for producing lift gas on-board balloon flights to extend duration of flight time.
It is against this background that various embodiments of the present invention were developed.